Columbia, Maryland emcee/producer KAAN returns with his 26th record. Over the past decade or so, Knowledge Below All Nonsense has put out numerous standouts in his ever-growing discography, such as Black Blood, the Ski Beatz-produced Requiem for a Dream Deferred, and the Big Ghost Ltd.-produced All Praise is Due , Mission Hillz , Death of a Rapper and Evening News are all produced by former Strange Music in-house producer MIKE SUMMERS , aka Seven and even Peace of Minds a few months ago. Los Angeles producer/DJ DJ Hoppa was invited to produce Delusions of Grandeur a few months ago and remains with In Due Time.
The title track starts off by sampling soul music and adding hi-hats, boasting that it’s completely different from the rest, while “CTTS (Can’t Touch This Shit)” talks about how no one else can do this with an all-out boom beat a little. “Cautionary Tales” tells us what happens when you’re consumed by greed in its soulful, dusty cadence, while “Weight” shows the faster process of trying to escape that baggage.
“Bon Appetit” brings a pounding rhythm that feels like he’s about to be unleashed to murder everything in his path, then “Another Play” uses woodwinds to talk about how shameful it is for people to get lost in the maze of the same game. “Warm It Up, KAAN” continues to put it in his helicopter bag and continues to stab other rappers in the throat, leading into the symphonic trap-flavored “Succession” that recommends everyone come back.
Meanwhile, on “Status Symbol,” we have KAAN replacing the hi-hat with more strings in favor of kick and snare, comparing the rap game to a little bitch, while “Stay Blessed” uses piano In place of orchestral elements, the titular message is conveyed. “It Ain’t Easy” has an old-school sound that details the struggle, while “Expectations” ruggedly tells us what some people around the world are looking for.
“Enough filler” drives the end of “Delusions of Grandiosity” sequel “In Appropriate Time,” expressing his frustration with how much filler some artists’ projects in the digital age have been filled with, while the final flourish gives “Rat Race” a Here comes the color.
For a little over 12 months, Kahn has been steadily churning out some of the best material of his entire career, and as much as I enjoyed Delusion, I think it stands out as a sequel that’s better than the original in due course . DJ Hoppa’s production is still boom bap heavy, it’s just that compared to last time you get more trap bass and the Maryland Chopper sounds hungrier.
Rating: 9/10
